LA to NY, Via Chicago. Alone.

Hi everyone! I'm so glad I found this forum, as it has loads of great tips and advice.

I'm moving from LA to NY in two weeks and can't find anyone to drive with me for the cross country trip. I've driven cross country 7 times, but have never gone solo.

I was hoping some of you could suggest a route for the solo traveler that would take my through Chicago (I have friends there and would be staying a couple of days to recharge). My only stipulation is that the route avoids I-70 between Utah and Colorado, as I've driven this way too many times.

I guess that leaves me with two routes: the northern route and the southern route. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated including cities to find lodging and total number of days on the road (not including the stopover in Chicago).

easy going

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You are right, if you are looking to avoid I-70, then I-80 and I-40 are your other two main options.

As a solo driver, you'll probably want to stop a bit more often to get out and get a break from the road (you also can stop whereever you feel like it, without worrying about anyone elses interests, so that can be a plus!). 500 miles a day would be a good goal. That would get you to Chicago in 4 days.

If you went with I-40 that would put your stops around Flagstaff/Winslow AZ; Amarillo TX; and Joplin/Springfield MO. On I-80, your stops would be roughly Fillmore UT; Larmine WY; and Lincoln/Omaha NE. The nice thing is that both of these routes are heavily traveled, so even small cities along these routes will often have several hotel options and you'll have lots of flexability should you decide that you want to drive a little more or less on any given day.

Hey guys! I'm almost in NY and thought I'd give an update from the road. I ended up taking the northern route through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and now Pennsylvania. I've actually had a lot of fun thus far. Most of the day has been spent taking in the scenery on the nearly empty roads.